Today's Opinions

I would like to say thank you again to a community that went above and beyond. A year ago on June 27, my husband, Ray Knight, was shot trying to be a good Samaritan. Little did he know at the time, Charles Raffaldt and Stephanie Myers had already committed another crime. The shooting caused my husband’s life to change. He was unable to do so many things he loved to do. His health continued to deteriorate, causing him not to be able to do things with his grandchildren.

We, the Men to Men and the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, would like to thank all conference speakers for a job well done, a special thank you to the mayor and his staff of the City Council. We would like to say a special thank you to City Councilman John Howard for his speech to all the veterans and to Evelyn Springs and her staff at the Fairway Room. Again, thank you guys for a job well done.

I would like to thank the following businesses, church families, agencies and individuals for their assistance in making this year’s annual Golden Age of Merit dinner a success.

No part of this ministry would be possible without the Rev. Wright and his wife of Glorious Tabernacle Church in Monroe, N.C., and that church family, Joe Blackwell of Lancaster Frozen Foods, the Meat Center, BiLo and manager Hilton Page, Rachel and Eugene Ealey, Carol Wright, the Fatherhood Project of Lancaster, Tommy Cauthen, musicians from Tradesville and Bill’s Place.

On March 18, 1970, as treasurer of Springs Foundation, I wrote the final checks to pay the contractor for the construction of Springs Memorial Hospital.

The total cost paid by the foundation exceeded $12 million, and it was the largest gift Springs Foundation has ever made. All of these funds were provided by the Springs Close family and were processed through Springs Foundation.

In 1970, little did any of us know what this outstanding health institution would come to mean to Lancaster and the surrounding area.

The Humane Society of Lancaster would like to thank the many people who have helped us this past year. Their generosity has kept us going and made the lives of countless furry friends more bearable. There are too many to list, but you all know who you are.

We appreciate all who donated their time, energy and money – even in these hard economic times. But our four-legged friends appreciate it even more.

In June, two economists have shared their views on the economy, the recession and when we will see some relief.

Steve Rick, senior economist for the Credit Union Association, and Mark Vitner, senior economist with Wachovia Bank, echoed each other’s sentiments about the economic forecast for South Carolina, our nation and the world.